Quality of life in acne patients: A clinical and dermatology life quality index (DLQI) based cross-sectional study

Objective To detect the impact of acne vulgaris on quality of life and assess correlation between disease severity, complications and decreased life quality. Methods This cross-sectional study of one-year duration involving acne patients of 18-30 years was carried out after institutional Ethics Committee clearance. After written informed consent, patients filled a proforma including demographic data, treatment and previous psychiatric history. Clinical grade of acne and severity of pigmentation and scarring were noted. Acne severity was classified as mild, moderate or severe and DLQI was noted. Statistical analysis was performed with the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS version 15.0), Chi-square test and Pearson's correlation coefficient. Results Overall mean DLQI was 7.84 (females 8.02, males 7.82) showing no significant difference between the genders. There was no association seen between DLQI scores severity and complications like pigmentation (p=0.198) and scarring (p=0.095). There was significant association between severity of acne grades and DLQI scores (p=0.014). Limitation The study population was restricted to patients visiting our outpatient department. Only DLQI questionnaire was used for evaluation, which could detect psychosocial problems, but not depression or anxiety without clinical assessment. Conclusion Our study confirms a negative impact of acne on quality of life substantiating a holistic approach treating physique and psyche for well-being of the person.